Belgium launches central bicycle register to combat theft
Bicycle theft continues to pose a major obstacle to Belgium's aim to get people to switch from fossil-fuelled vehicles to two-wheelers. A central register could be part of the solution.
In Belgium, some 38,000 bicycles are stolen every year, or over 100 bikes a day according to police figures. Moreover, around 65% of bicycle thefts are not reported, meaning the actual number is probably much higher.
Various regional administrations together vill create MyBike, a free central bicycle register on which owners can log the details of their bicycle and file a report, as well as check whether a second-hand bicycle has been reported as stolen.
The idea for a national bicycle register is based on the Brussels system "MyBike.Brussels". This was launched in 2019 and works with a QR code on a sticker that cannot be removed and unique number, allowing everyone to easily check if a bicycle has been reported stolen, and possibly contact the rightful owner.
The federal system will also rely on this principle.
More than 37,000 bicycles have already been registered on MyBike.Brussels and more and more are being recovered.
The system has proven its efficiency. We are therefore very pleased that this best practice is now being extended to the whole country,
Brussels State Secretary Barbara Trachte said.
Comments (2)
Не очень представляю себе стикер, который невозможно удалить, но допустим.
А штрафовать пользователей незарегистрированных велосипедов будут? И велики на штрафплощадку.